Maribel
Zalazar (35)
was robbed of her service pistol and killed.
Her murderer was
Oscar Gustavo Valdez (29)
, a man to whom she had brought a glass of water and they were trying to help him because he felt bad.
From what happened, the question arises about the security measures that the Police have to prevent a theft of their weapon.
And what does the protocol establish on how they should carry them.
How could Valdez steal the gun?
And how did he manage to shoot it?
First, it is necessary to review what is known so far about the attack sequence.
The seizure of the weapon occurred when Zalazar and a security employee tried to put Valdez on a stretcher. Based on the statements of the murderer's girlfriend, Evelyn (22), and the images from the security cameras, Valdez pounced on
him
. The police stole his gun and fired.
Going to help him, Zalazar ended up being his victim.
The attack was totally unpredictable.
She was not on alert because she was assisting the man.
It was a treasonous attack
.
Maribel Zalazar, the City Police officer murdered in the Retiro subway station.
"
The weapon always has to go in the holster, with the closing strap and the 'clip' hook
, which allows the weapon not to come out of the holster,"
a police instructor explains to
Clarín .
The deceased officer had been a member of the Federal Police between 2014 and 2016. Then she went to the City Police.
She used a Bersa Thunder weapon, which she brought from her passage through the Federal.
The new Buenos Aires officers are given a Beretta PX4.
The City police officers have a thermoformed nylon sheath that has a "clip" type closure, with a hook or brooch.
Oscar Gustavo Valdez (29), the murderer of the City Police officer, Maribel Zalazar (35).
Regarding this security measure, the expert clarifies: "This is not insurmountable:
if a person exerts excessive force, they can break it or overcome resistance
, as well as discover the way using both hands in a struggle context."
For this reason, in this case it is key to evaluate the tactical holster, to see if the murdered officer's holster had, for example, an external insurance and additional pressure, or what type it was.
In addition, the specialist consulted maintains that in the face of a confusing situation on public roads
"a safe distance must be maintained to observe the case."
This was not the case of Zalazar who was providing assistance to a decompensated person.
Federal Police experts at the crime scene.
Photo Maxi Failla
From their training, the police take into account how to proceed based on the context.
"You have to evaluate the circumstance, for example, if there are two people, the officer may find himself in a hypothetical numerical inferiority", he affirms.
And he adds: "If the officer deals with only one aggressor, then there is a situation of parity that would allow the situation to be controlled. Although
there are exceptions such as the crime of Retirement
".
Regarding the murder of Zalazar, the consulted expert says: "At first it seemed like a health problem, not a situation of aggression between two people. The manifestation of the fact did not indicate a situation like the one that ended up happening suddenly."
That would be the key by which the murderer of the officer managed to steal the weapon.
He betrayed her trust
of him.
The moment of Valdez's arrest.
The policemen have well-described equipment and techniques: "distance, cane-tonfa to make him give up, and the progressive use of force until reaching the firearm."
However, he emphasizes that the situation on Tuesday was "different because there were no signs of aggression or imminent reaction."
And he clarifies: "In most cases the aggressor gives up or flees, here the aggressor acted like the minority that decides to attack police personnel."
Police gun insurance
In addition to the sheath and the techniques to protect yourself, the weapons used by the Police have security measures to prevent them from being fired accidentally.
In the case of the pistol used by Zalazar, the Bersa Thunder, it has
two safety guards, one automatic and one manual
.
Maribel Nélida Zalazar (35), the City Police officer shot to death in Retiro.
The automatic is the one that prevents the gun from firing itself in the event of a blow, fall or vibration.
The manual is what allows you to de-hammer the weapon so that it is not possible to shoot.
It is not known if Zalazar had the manual safety on or not, but it is very common for police officers who are on duty to have it deactivated.
At the same time, the police protocol establishes that weapons are loaded in order to respond quickly to an attack.
MG
look too
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